Lucky Stars
by Trapped in a MatchBox
Summary: "You gave Ellie an out. You have no idea what you did for this girl, babe. I saw it in her eyes. You saved her life, in more ways than you could possibly imagine." In which Erin and Jay talk about how close to home the case hit. Post 4x13.


**A/N: So, this is my first time venturing into Chicago PD territory. It's been years since I've written any fanfic, so I hope I did these incredible characters justice. I started watching the Chicago shows after my friends annoyed me to watch it (I love you guys!) and I am completely, head over heels in love with Linstead. What can I say, I have a thing for cop shows and strong female detectives who kick some serious ass. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it and please let me know what you think!**

 **Lucky Stars**

It had been a long day. Erin had only had the strength to shower and put on an old pair of sweats, before she threw herself on the couch. And that was exactly where she still was, hours later, getting up only to pick up her dinner when the delivery kid arrived. Jay had texted her earlier, saying he was going to Molly's with the guys, so she figured he would still be a while.

To her surprise, however, shortly after 10pm she heard the key turn in the lock and the door open a second later, the light from the hallway casting his shadow through the entrance of their apartment. She hadn't turned the lights on when she'd gotten home a few hours earlier, a headache pulsing behind her eyes, so the TV was the only source of light in the living room.

This case had been hard - but today had been a special kind of stressful and devastating. Erin kept seeing herself in those girls and it was impossible not to get too involved. After everything she had seen and heard about that home, she knew this could have been her if Hank hadn't taken her in. She could have ended up dead in a ditch somewhere, just like Sam, and she would have been just one more unfortunate kid who had been dealt a bad hand in life and got mixed up with the wrong people.

It could have been her.

She thanked God every day for Hank Voight. Even if her mother didn't.

Jay had once told her that she had way too much empathy for the victims and she figured he was right - she really did. But how could she possibly do this job otherwise?

"Hey," she finally greeted him, when she saw him drop his keys in the bowl by the door. He looked up and she saw the sad look in his eyes, how exhausted he felt. "I ordered some Chinese, if you're hungry."

He smiled at her tiredly and closed the distance between the door and the couch in two seconds. The next thing she knew, his lips were on hers, his hand cupping her cheek in an intense kiss. She sighed into it and ran her fingers through his short hair, trying to comfort him with her touch as much as his kiss was doing the same for her.

"I love you, you know that?" He gave her one final peck, before pulling away. She smiled at him happily and kissed his palm. "Sorry I took so long to get home. Kev wanted to grab a beer." He explained, taking his hat off and throwing it on the couch.

"Don't worry about it. I was too tired anyway. I've just been vegging here, watching crap TV." She shrugged and he chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to the side of her head, before making his way to the kitchen. "Did everything go okay with Ellie?" she called after him and heard his positive reply.

She heard him come back and rolled her eyes at his attempt to balance two food containers and two beers. Calling him an idiot - her idiot - under her breath, she plucked the food from his hand and placed the containers on the coffee table.

"I waited with her until the new family got there." He continued, sitting down next to her with chopsticks in hand. "They seem like nice people and already have another foster kid living with them, so things should be okay."

"I sure hope they are," Erin said, taking a sip of her beer. "She deserves a good family, after all she's been through."

"Yeah," he sighed and ate silently for a moment, lost in thought. "What these girls were going through in that place, babe, it's..." He shook his head, as if trying to rid himself from those memories. "It's inhuman. They're just kids. Sam was just 15 years old. Fifteen. And to have people like that son of a bitch and Tonya using them for money, that's just-"

He stopped himself and let out a breath. She reached out and squeezed his hand comfortingly, knowing just how hard this case had hit him, how badly he wanted to help.

"You did good, though." She reassured him, but he shook his head and looked away. "Jay," she put her beer bottle on the coffee table and took his hand in both of hers. "Babe, look at me." She waited patiently until his breath returned to normal and his eyes met hers. "Hey, you did so much good for these girls. You have no idea, Jay, no idea what you did for them."

"Sam still died." He whispered and she finally saw just how much this girl's death had affected him.

"Yeah, she did. And that was a tragedy. But you saved all those other girls from having to go through the same thing. You gave Ellie an out. You have no idea what you did for this girl, babe. I saw it in her eyes. You saved her life, in more ways than you could possibly imagine."

"You think so?" Jay asked and she squeezed his hand, nodding. "I told her to call me if she ever needed anything. Gave her my card."

"She seems like a good kid."

"Yeah, I think she is." He returned to his dinner and they were quiet for a couple of minutes. "You know, I keep thinking that if we had stumbled upon this case sooner, maybe we could have helped Sam. Like Voight helped you."

"I was her age when he took me in." She sighed, before reaching for her bottle for another sip. "I probably wouldn't have made it past 16 if he hadn't."

"I can't tell you how glad I am that he did." he touched her cheek and leaned in for a kiss. "I can't imagine my life without you. Can't imagine what life would be like if we hadn't met."

"That's what you did for Ellie today." She whispered and closed the distance between them again, her kiss gentle and lingering. "You were her Voight. So that maybe fifteen years from now, a great guy will be sitting in their living room, thanking his lucky stars that you saved her life too."

He looked at her with a newfound strength and purpose, as if she had just handed him the best prize ever, and the emotion shining in his eyes was enough to take her breath away.

"Thank you," he said after a moment, his voice heavy with emotion.

"Partners, remember?"

She kissed him again and settled into his side. When his arm immediately enveloped her shoulders and his fingers started dancing lazily on her arm, Erin finally allowed herself to relax.

This was home.

They were going to be okay.

 **A/N: Reviews are good for the soul**


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